Chadema’s Godbless Lema is the last high-profile opposition politician to come back home from political exile. His return on Wednesday offers a new opportunity for starting a new chapter in Tanzania and make it possible for people to conduct politics without fearing for their lives.
As Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe said at Mr Lema’s homecoming rally in Arusha, some Tanzanian businessmen are still in exile because their personal security and that of their assets have not yet been guaranteed.
Such security guarantees can only be effected through reforms. These reforms should be carried out to address the issue of too much vested power in one individual without adequate recourse to courts of law.
Reforms are painful, but they must be carried out if Tanzania, as a country, is to move to a higher level of socioeconomic development. It is highly encouraging that President Samia Suluhu Hassan has seen the need for both political and economic reforms and has promised to deliver them.
In her “public letter” published in the media on July 1, 2022, she categorically said Tanzania could not move out of the permanent sense of political, electoral and economic transition if sweeping reforms were not carried out.
Just having the Head of State appreciate the need for reforms is encouraging. This is because for reforms to take place and be effective, a conducive atmosphere must be created. Reforms that are forced down the people’s throats are always counterproductive in the end.
That is why we urge the ruling CCM and civil servants to support’s President Hassan’s zeal for reforms and work hard to make it a reality. They must realise that Tanzania has still a long way to go and this calls for concerted efforts to remove all hurdles to socioeconomic advancements.
This is a country that still has much to do to ensure, for example, that all children are provided with quality education and villages get reliable supply of water and clean and safe water.
This is the country that is still struggling to put in place the most basic infrastructure even in urban areas at a time when the world is mulling how to deploy artificial intelligence to boost economic productivity. Do we still have time to keep hounding one another out of the country for political reasons?
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
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